National Championship Opening Round Recap

National Championship Opening Round Recap

November 19, 2011

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 24-team field for the NAIA Volleyball National Championship Final Site in Sioux City, Iowa, is set after Saturday’s Opening Round action culminated at campus sites across the country. Eleven schools made their National Championship debuts as part of the 12-match Opening Round slate.

MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) made a big splash while playing in its first National Championship match in school history, topping No. 21 Bellevue (Neb.), 26-24, 25-18, 14-25, 25-19, as it scored the day’s first upset. Outside hitter Linjun Ji paced the Pioneers with a season-high 16 kills and libero Laura Hamblin added a match-high 21 digs.

In the second and final upset of the Opening Round, Kansas Wesleyan surprised No. 20 Oklahoma Baptist, 25-20, 15-25, 25-11, 25-21. The Coyotes were led by middle hitter Leah Keller’s 12 kills. Both teams qualified for the National Championship for the first time in their programs’ histories.

No. 22 Grand View (Iowa) also prevailed in its first appearance in the NAIA Volleyball National Championship. The Vikings knocked off Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) on the road, 25-12, 25-15, 25-18, behind a 15-kill performance from NAIA kills leader Devon Jensen. Grand View’s Nicole Boevers swatted an Opening Round-high four aces. Collectively, schools making their first National Championship appearances went 3-8 on the day.

In San Diego, Calif., a pair of ranked squads squared off as No. 18 Point Loma Nazarene topped No. 24 Cal State San Marcos, 23-25, 25-14, 25-16, 25-18. The Sea Lions improved to 45-23 in 14 appearances all-time at the national championships. Point Loma Nazarene has now won Opening Round matches in four-consecutive years. In the only other matchup between ranked teams, No. 12 College of Idaho breezed by No. 23 Carroll (Mont.), 25-22, 25-15, 25-21. Lady Yotes’ outside hitter Ciciley Fox slammed down a Saturday-high 17 kills while Kelsey Soos’ 49 assists also led all Opening Round participants. College of Idaho boosted its record to 3-0 in Opening Round matches.

Final site pool assignments and schedule will be announced Nov. 21 by 5 p.m. CST.

The final 24 teams will be placed into six pools for three days of round-robin play. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the single-elimination bracket starting Dec. 2. The championship match will take place on Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. CST.